Only the Lonely Hearts
by jellybeankelley
Summary: Hermione Granger is fresh from a heart break and not willing to deal with men in general if they aren't her two best friends. She is taking a break from all things emotional including needy parents, needy best friends, needy ex-boyfriends, and needy jobs. What she really needs is some time to recharge her batteries without any outside influences! She wants to take some time of self
1. Balcony Musing

Hermione Granger sat on her balcony over looking muggle London on a cold, windy November evening. She had warming charms set on the small space, but the weather was so harsh today that she still huddled under a blanket in her favorite wool jumper. A glass of dark red wine twirled between her fingers as she thought about where she was in her life.

She was not happy at all.

Her on again, off again relationship with Marcus Flint was firmly off again and it would never be rekindled. She knew he wasn't faithful to her and really she didn't expect it, but she did expect him to not sleep with all of her best friends.

She had lunch with Luna and Ginny on Halloween last week where they both told her in whispered conversations while the other was up either fetching drinks or food that they had both recently slept with Marcus while his team, the Tutshill Tornadoes were in town. He had a reputation for being a very skilled lover and very charming. Hermione could tell you that both those things were incredible true.

He was constantly in the papers, along with a few other players for the British Quidditch league, as one of the most eligible bachelors in the country. He was constantly seen in the hottest night spots with gorgeous women on each arm. He was always featured in the Wizard GQ where they talked about his tips and tricks with the ladies, the newest fashions he was sporting, his diet and exercise regime, and a few of his star Chaser tricks. He was in constant demand.

Not that anyone would have guessed it during his Hogwarts days. Back then he looked like a troll. His teeth were too large and facing the wrong directions. He was rumored to be incredibly stupid and he did have to repeat his 7th year again due to poor NEWT scores. You know someone's scores are bad when a professional sporting team makes you go back and collect better scores just to play. Basically everyone wrote Marcus off as hideous to look at but talented on the Quidditch pitch. No one would have ever expected this.

Hermione did though.

She had bumped into Marcus during her first year. Technically she crashed into him with amazing brute force as the book she tried to remove from the high library shelf and herself came toppling off a chair and right onto him. She managed to not only hit him in the face with a book but her elbow and well as a well placed knee to the groin. She figured that she was about to get pounded or at least screamed at by the 6'4" Slytherin but he just laughed and told her that the only way Gryffindor would win the match this weekend was if they sent their first years to take out the better team.

It was the start of a quiet kind of friendship. Mostly continued through her first year with just nods in the hallways and small smirks. They never really talked more than her telling him he played the most recent match well (provided it wasn't against Gryffindor) or him asking her how she was enjoying her classes.

That changed during her second year. First Draco Malfoy hurled that foul word at her and rocked her to her core. She knew what it meant but from all her reading she also knew it was only really used by groups of blood supremacists who assumed she was inferior. She cried in the library for a full day before Marcus found her and told her that he made Malfoy fly laps for his behavior until he was almost too tired to sit on the broom. Marcus was the first Pureblood to tell her he was sorry for those beliefs. He actually meant it too.

As much as she was angry at him now for sleeping with her friends she knew he really didn't believe in all the rubbish which made her pain just a little bit worse.

Also during second year was her epiphany about Marcus. It was nearing the first big testing time before Christmas that she found Marcus in the library with a little house elf reading too him very poorly and then she noticed that Marcus would answer back and the little elf would try to write down what he said. Based on everything she had heard about the elf Dobby, Hermione assumed he was having his elf do his work for her and she saw red. She confronted Marcus in hushed yells and tore into him. Her righteous indignation was so great that she would not stop to hear anything he had to say.

Finally she ran out of steam and Marcus introduced her to Moxy his house elf. Marcus was embarrassed but he quietly told her what was happening and it turned out Marcus wasn't stupid at all. All those people who said he had troll blood or troll brain didn't know anything about who Marcus truly was.

After listening to Marcus and asking some questions Hermione started to suspect he might have dyslexia and after a few more questions she decided her might have dysgraphia as well. She told him that his difficulties might not be cure-able but manageable and she would do some research on the subject. She apologized to both Marcus and Moxy for her assumptions.

After the Christmas holidays she came back with a stack of books and special pens and parchment. She had a plan and the two spent hours working on improving Marcus's reading ability as well as his writing until she was petrified by a Basilisk midway through the year. When she was revived she spent time coaching him how to survive in the muggle world and then managed to arrange daily tutoring from her cousin Rachel who was majoring in therapies for issues like what Marcus had at Oxford during the summer. He went everyday to get his help and with her and her cousin's help improved his reading abilities just in time to return for his seventh year.

Her third year she had the time turner and she didn't see much of Marcus. When they did see each other she was impressed by the efforts he was making to not only learn but too catch up on everything he had missed. He was perfect with the practical work but in the past six years he had ever turned in anything but an acceptable grade essay. Honestly more of his essays didn't even hit the acceptable mark. He was making great strides with his new skills and confidence.

The NEWT examine took place right after they had rescued Sirius so Hermione took some time and helped him study. She knew he was going to do way better than anyone expected him to do but when she looked for him after the first batch of testing was done she never could find him. She didn't see him again until the World Cup.

That turned out to be a disaster. When she ran into Marcus in the woods trying to flee the Death Eaters she was so afraid. Her and Ron realized they were missing Harry and were trying to run back to the grounds but Marcus stood in her way. He told her he thought his father was there with the Death Eaters and he didn't want her anywhere near the man. He looked genuinely afraid but Hermione gripped his hand and told him she couldn't leave Harry behind. He nodded and shadowed her back to the edge of the woods. She didn't see him again until school started.

On the Hogwarts Express they bumped into each other in the hallway. He told her that he had to repeat the year and she was stunned. Actually told him there was no way she would believe he failed his NEWTs and he laughed at that. During the first test, he told her, he was informed that his mother was dying and he promptly left to be home at her side. He had a terrible relationship with his father but he loved his mother completely unconditionally. Hermione gave him a hard hug and tried to put everything into that hug that said how sorry he was for his loss because words had failed her.

That first hug was the day she developed her crush on Marcus Flint.

That was the day she gave her heart away to the one man who was not worth her time.

Oh look at that, her bottle of wine was empty.

She walked back into her apartment for a fresh bottle.


	2. Little More Wine, Little More Memories

When Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire in her fourth year she knew everything was going to get so much worse. Harry was like the world's largest trouble magnet. A glance at Marcus's table showed him looking incredibly angry. She knew he wanted to enter the contest but it was decided her was too old to do so as he was already repeating a year. He was really disappointed, he confided in Hermione, that he wouldn't be able to compete or at least try to compete.

Right now he looked as if he would like to rip Harry Potter limb from limb and that was a problem. Hermione knew that Harry didn't enter his name. Honestly she did not even need to ask him for his assurance of this fact. It turned out that she would be one of like three people who believed it.

Marcus was not one of those three and after a massive fight in the hallway outside of the library he stopped speaking to Hermione.

Oh she saw him around. In the hallways and practicing on the Quidditch pitch but they didn't speak. If he did meet her eyes on accident he quickly slid them away like she didn't exists.

It hurt terribly but she needed to help Harry through the tasks.

After the dragon most of the student body believed Harry but a certain tall, dark, and handsome Quidditch player was not among those who believed him.

The Yule Ball made it worse. Where he would just ignore her before he outright glared at her now. She showed up looking amazing (even she thought so) on the arm of an international super star Quidditch player.

Later he would tell her that was the first time he was ever jealous of someone else and who they were with. He was always so focused on Quidditch he never really bothered with worrying about dating or whatever. His father was an old school Pureblood so eventually he would just have a marriage contract so why bother with that. He would tell her while they were wrapped around each other in post-coital bliss that was the first day he ever wanted something someone else had but he couldn't have.

He still didn't talk to her though.

That didn't happen until she was pulled out of the lake by Viktor Krum in the middle of a freezing February Scottish winter. He saw her shaking and half frozen pulled from the water he decided that she was his friend and what Potter did or didn't do to get to compete didn't matter because she belonged to him too.

Friends were a part of each other. At least at the time he didn't take too much time to consider why he was so very jealous of Viktor he just realized that this was not worth losing her from his life for.

They began studying and talking together again. Everything was as it should be.

Until the final task.

When Harry showed back up with the Cup and the body of Cedric Diggory screaming that Voldemort was alive and kicking again Marcus blanched. Dumbledore sent everyone back up to the school and several Slytherin students looked pretty pleased about the possibility. Hermione however was nearly devoid of color.

The next day Marcus would get an owl from his father telling him he was going to receive an honor when he got home that most Purebloods only dreamed about. Marcus went to find Hermione.

Hermione, ever the rule follower, told him he should tell a teacher. This was of course, after she was assured by him multiple times that he had no interest in any such offer. She thought maybe he could go to his Head of House but Marcus was pretty sure he had heard from his father the Professor Snape was a Death Eater at one time. It was part of the reason he wanted his son in Slytherin so he knew he was learning the right things. With that option dismissed they went to see his favorite professor.

Hermione was suprized it was actually Professor Sprout but Marcus was exceptionally skilled at Herbology and it was the teacher would had helped him most with his essays and tests before he got help. Marcus confided that his mother was a Hufflepuff in the same manner someone might reluctantly tell people they were a plague carrier. She would never understand Purebloods and their mindset against Badgers.

Professor Sprout read the letter and talked with Marcus. He was slated to try-out for several of the British Quidditch teams after school but if he stayed he would have to do as his father said. If he left he might have to give up his Quidditch dreams and that was unacceptable to him. Professor Spout told him to focus on his tests and she would take care of the rest. In the end the sweet Professor wrote him letters of introduction to all the American and Canadian Quidditch teams while Hermione drafted a form letter and owled it to every single team she could find in Quidditch magazines.

When he was done with his NEWTS, which he figured he had handled well, he had invitations to try-out for seven American teams and three Canadian teams. Marcus was headed to North America to avoid the upcoming war.

He said goodbye to Hermione out by the Black Lake. He made her promise that she would come find him in America if the war got too hot. He made her promise to send her cousin Rachel to him if he thought she would be a target. This was the woman who helped him learn how to learn after all. He even made sure she promised to send her parents to him if they needed escape.

At the end he was feeling emotional and some what heartbroken to leave his friend behind. That was all she was after all, just a fourth year Gryffindor friend. Nothing else.

He kissed her so sweetly as he left to walk to the village. Just a gentle brush of the lips and a light hug before he left.

The day before the Hogwarts express was set to pull out back towards London he took the floo in the Hogs Head to the edge of Wales and then a Muggle boat ride to Ireland where he caught an international portkey to New York City.

He would not return to British shores until two years after the war was won.

Hermione Granger got up and went inside. She was done reminiscing for the night. She needed some sleep. She took her wine glass into the kitchen for a quick rinse when she noticed that she had finished her second bottle. She could feel it a little bit but she had been drinking so much lately trying to manage her sadness that she barely noticed two full bottles of wine gone.

Well really about one and a half bottles.

For one person.

On a Tuesday evening.

Shit.

She would need some Sobber Up before she went to bed just to make it to work in the morning.

Again.


	3. Job Disappointments

After a long day at work filled with mindless tedium all Hermione wanted was to sit down with a lovely take-away dinner and a tall glass of red wine.

What she got was mediocre take-away as the Italian place she loved had too long of a wait for her and a small glass of red wine because she was starting to think she needed less wine due to the fact that she was down to her last two Sober Up potions.

One cauldron made about 25 vials and she had made a batch less than two weeks ago. So, yeah she considered it a good idea to skip a trip to the store tonight to restock.

She got home and eased her heels off on the edge of the couch. She was pretty sure the littlest toe on her left foot was going to need to be removed magically due to the pointy shoes she wore all day. Heels and a pencil skirt might have made her legs look great and done wonders for her ass but she wasn't really trying to impress anyone at the office anyway. All the meetings she got to sit in on now that she was Undersecretary to the Department-Head in Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures were boring and filled with people who were so busy patting themselves on the back for the tiny baby steps they managed to push forth in policy that they didn't try to do anything bigger.

Her boss had no problems with this take no charge and make no improvements kind of attitude. Hermione figured he constantly put her on the back burner because he felt threatened by her. Every single change that had been made to policy since the end of the war was written, negotiated, and passed through the Wizengamot by Hermione and her team.

Every.

Single.

One.

When they gave her the promotion to Undersecretary she figured it was just the start of her moves towards bigger better things.

Within the first month her boss called her into his office and asked her to shelf her new Werewolf Rights Bill. Expecting them to have job security because of their condition was fine to him but asking for equal pay for equal work was just far to much in his estimation for the department to ask of the Wizengamot.

When Hermione disagreed he gave a little chuckle.

He chuckled at her like she was being intentionally cute. Then he mentioned in passing that she shouldn't be too concerned about it as she would be leaving the office when she married to start having a family.

When she tried to explain that she had no intentions of marrying right now and was not in a relationship in fact he just laughed her off and told her it wouldn't be long before some wizard swept her off her feet and she found herself at home with a family and children.

She left his office that day and completely disregarded anything that ever came from that man's mouth again.

What she didn't count on was the fact that her new promotion basically excluded from the process of writing new laws. All she ever did was correct her coworkers mistakes and take meetings to get yelled at by other departments for the things that assumed that she had a hand in. Normally these problems were caused by her misogynist of a boss.

It was during a late night pub outing to complain to her best friends about her boss and her new crap promotion that she bumped into Marcus again. He recognized her from across the pub and came over to say hello. They spent an evening catching up and checking in with each other about the war and what they had done since then.

Looking back over crappy food and not enough wine she could easily see that a lot of the problems started with her. A lot of the issues that they constantly ran into were based on nothing more than her frustration with her job and her life in those moments.

Everything that happened hurt her so much. It broke her in way that she didn't realize that a person could be broken. Sitting there all alone in her flat she could acknowledge the mistakes that she made even if she hated them.

She was broken and hurting and it didn't seem as if it would ever go away or heal. She hated feeling this way. Sitting home and yearning for the person who hurt her. She needed to move on. She hadn't felt so trapped in herself and her life since right after the war as her body and mind tried to process the damaging things she had seen and done.

She needed to move on with everything that was wrong in her life. She needed drastic changes.

It was time to stop camouflaging her pain in wine and work and being alone.

It was time her for to live again.


	4. List Making

After yet another soul sucking day in the office Hermione finally made it home around 7 p.m. She grabbed her take-away and headed to the kitchen. She got herself a bottle of water and a fork and plopped down at her tiny dinette.

The decision to live again and try to move on was an easy one to make but a difficult one to carry out. She didn't exactly know what to do to move on from her current funk.

What were the steps?

Sadly after a quick check at all of the book stores in Diagon Alley she realized that there was no guide in the wizarding world on how to fix your life. She could venture into the muggle world and check but she knew a lot of that was going to be the hippy dippy just love yourself advice.

That was so not her.

She wasn't about to indulge in a shopping spree to treat herself. She was not going to date. Her own crappy dating adventures had been the start of her slight mental collapse. She also didn't see herself finding a new religion or start creating rage art pieces. All of those had been ideas she found in some waiting room magazines that were a few months out of print.

She also didn't really want to see a psychologist just yet. While she had nothing but the greatest respect for the profession but she didn't know exactly what she would wanted so talking to someone about the raging holes in her life seemed nonsensical. It seemed like she should have some idea of the healing she was looking for before asking someone else for help.

She knew that both Harry and George had found great peace after visiting their mind Healers but she just didn't think she was at a place where that would help yet. They knew what they needed. George needed to find a way to cope with not only the day to day living after the loss of his twin but he needed help to restart his creativity for his business. He knew he didn't want that to fail but he wasn't sure how to get started on something that had always been a team project.

Harry was obvious. He needed help sorting out his feelings about all the death and destruction. He needed to figure out how to function if he wasn't a lightening rod for all things evil and dark in the wizarding world. Harry James Potter tended to take a lot of the responsibility for everyone else's decisions completely on himself. He had a bit of a saving people thing and he wasn't sure how to survive in a world not completely filled with turmoil and strife.

To be honest Hermione was still so grateful that his healer and convinced him not to be an Auror. Hermione thought it was a terrible idea to ask a man still struggling to find himself after being at war for seven years to go out into the world and catch dark wizards. Thankfully his mind healer was of the same opinion. The healer encouraged Harry to continue to do the one thing that made him happier than any other. After she and Harry returned from Australia and attempting to repair her parents memories he decided that his love of flying made him more genuinely happy than anything else and while she returned for an 8th year at Hogwarts, Harry tried out for all the Quidditch teams in England that needed a Seeker. He was offered positions in 8 different clubs. He also was happy to note that he was offered these positions on his own merit because he wore glamour charms to all of the try-out. It was good enough, he told her later, to stump Oliver Wood his old Captain. It was just the boost his confidence needed and it was a career that would heal the hurt from the war.

Harry had received the healing he needed.

What Hermione needed was a life coach or a life person wrecking ball.

She needed a new direction.

So being Hermione Granger she went home and made a list. The whole world could be improved with just a little more organization. She had received a reputation for her color coded study tables and her revising guides at Hogwarts. Why should life be any different? All she needed to do was to sit down and focus.

What did she want to change? What did she need to improve? What? What? What?

Perhaps she would just list the things she felt needed her immediate personal attention and then revise the list as she went along. She would start with small goals and expand her new life plan as she went.

All good lists need a title.

**Hermione Granger's Life Change Plan**

Seemed a bit grandiose for a title but she needed to go big or go home. If she was being truly honest with herself this whole idea was just a little crazy and the title was stupid but perhaps this would be a great jumping off point. When she was little and her life felt overwhelming her grandmother would always remind her that the only way to eat and elephant was just one bit at a time.

Taking pen to legal pad she came up with a few ideas.

1\. Move on in my personal life. Stop letting a past relationships wreck my happiness and make my decisions for me.

Marcus was a giant mistake and she could see that now. Not that he ever really lied to her but she was far more invested in him than he ever was in her. Unequal relationships always hurt just as unequal when they ended. On some level she knew that she wanted more than he was ready for and if she was truly honest with herself she rather thought that he liked that she wanted him as much as she did. He may or may not have personally strung her along but she thought he knew that it was unbalanced before she did.

2\. Change careers or in some way change my job prospects. I seriously hate my job and most of the people I work with.

Well that was easier said than done. After all bills like to be paid and landlords also like employed tenants. She would have to put some thought into how to handle this one. On one hand the very idea of leaving her job filled her with joy and a type of giddiness only seen in teenage girls at boy band concerts on the other hand how in the world she would ever have time to interview during the week when she worked 12 to 14 hour days would be a problem.

3\. Spend more time with friends that I know I can count on. Develop deeper relationships with the people I know who love me unconditionally.

She missed Harry. He traveled a lot for work and she understood that but lately she spent more time with his partner than him. She missed doing girls nights with Luna, Susan, Hannah, and Ginny too. She missed being involved with the people who loved her even when she was a bushy haired controlling mess. Right now she was the same kind of mess she was third year and she needed her friends.

4\. Improve relationships with remaining family members. If everyone thinks my parents are dead there is really no reason to keep myself away. I can pass off my time apart as grieving.

She really missed her cousin and Rachel had been back in England for a few weeks and planned on staying. She would have to reach out to her. She should probably check in with her Great Aunts too. They were wild and crazy and would always been fun to spend time with. She had been avoiding them because physically they looked so much like her mother and pushing them away for making her nostalgic was wrong on her part.

6\. Improve my health through less wine, more healthy food, and some kind of exercise.

There is no reason to become a lush over a man and there is also no reason for a woman who can sort of cook to eat take-away five nights a week. Hell, she could make potions and she could follow directions. Cooking should be a breeze she just needed to add some actual food items to her grocery list. Cereal, milk, and loo roll only got you so far in life. Also there is probably some kind of exercise that doesn't make you disgustingly sweaty. She had always heard good things about yoga from the Patil twins. I mean neither of them looked like they wanted to break any kind of sweat. Whatever exercise she did would NOT BE RUNNING. There was something wrong with people who ran for fun. You run if there are Death Eaters. You run if there is a bear or something. Not for fun!

Sitting back and looking at her starter list she realized it was not really much of a plan but those were the things that were in the front of her mind so those were probably the most pressing of her issues.

She left enough room at the bottom of the list for several more items for her plan. The worst part about feeling so disjointed right now in everything was that she couldn't make an accurate list or a plan. Not knowing something was a sure fire way to drive Hermione on a long walk off a short cliff so she needed to find some place to start. She needed goals that she could meet honestly. She needed this!

She really loved lists and plans.


	5. Breakfast and Tears

When Saturday finally rolled around Hermione put her first toe in the water towards her new plan. She had owled Harry earlier in the week and asked if they could have breakfast together sometime soon. She received a reply stating that he was actually off this weekend due to the game schedule and they set up a Saturday morning breakfast.

Hermione couldn't wait to reconnect with her oldest and best friend. They had been telling everyone since they were in fourth year that they were basically brother and sister and that was the one relationship had held up to everything. She and Harry may not be tied together by blood but neither of them ever felt anything like the sibling bond that they had. She was the annoying big sister always trying to set him straight and he was the little brother who brought fun, adventure, and mischief into her life. They went through puberty, war, the beginning and ends of different relationships, and transitioning into adult life and they stilled stayed as close as siblings. Harry was the one thing in her life that was always true and honest. She could not imagine a situation where that would ever change.

She knew her brother like the back of her hand.

She was not at all shocked therefore to see a familiar tall brown hair person enter hand in hand with Harry. She smiled at them both. Theo was so good for Harry. He may have been a marked Death Eater during the war but he was put in the same position Malfoy was in during that time too. His father all but forced him to take the Dark Mark at the end of his sixth year. So Theo did the only thing he could do at the time, he survived. He was however proud to tell you once you knew him that he never lifted his wand to cast one dark spell until the final battle when his father walked in front of him with the an Avada on his lips. It was the one and only time that Theodore Nott had taken a life during the whole war.

She loved Theo. He was family.

It didn't start that way however...

Harry's relationship with Theo was so good for him but it did cause problems between Harry and Hermione in the beginning. She was not as willing to forgive Theo as Harry was for just being a Death Eater. She also had a hard time understanding how Harry went from dating Cho to Ginny to Luna to Theo. The transitions didn't quiet make sense to her. She loved her brother but she really and truly believe he was making risky choices as a coping method for dealing with the aftermath of war. She had no problem with him being in love with a man but really to want to be with a marked Death Eater. She truly didn't understand.

They didn't speak to each other for almost a month when she found out about the relationship. She lost her mind with Harry and raged at him for almost two hours when Harry stood up and said he loved her and he would talk to her later.

She did nothing for a full month. She was that angry.

Thank Merlin for Harry.

He came to her flat one morning, not long after she had called it quits with Ron, carrying coffee and danish, and all the reasons his relationship was worth risking everything.

Even their relationship.

Because he loved Hermione but if she couldn't listen to him, Harry told her he would have to choose Theo over her.

That was enough to startle Hermione into listening.

Her prefaced the whole conversation by telling her that neither he nor Theo were gay, rather they were just far more open with their sexuality than either the wizarding world or muggle world would approve of, but they were very much in love with each other.

He told her how Cho was his childhood crush but after one wet kiss and terrible date during his fifth year he was no long sure he actually liked women. He was so uncomfortable with her and her feelings that he didn't know what to do. He was also worried because all of those tears and everything had just made him want to run away from her and that was not what you do in a healthy relationship.

He told her about his curious peaks in locker room shower and the dorms but never acting on it. It didn't stir him to passion but he did want to know.

He told her about his relationship with Ginny. How her constant desire to be close to him for so many years had led him to actually believe he would want him when the war was over. Then he found out about her relationships with other people while he was on the hunt and he was not upset or anything. He ended their relationship and she had made the choice to move on. He did however think they would get back together and when they didn't he felt nothing. This made him feel like he was missing something. She moved on and he thought the loss of her affection was actually a signal to him that he was lacking something that struck passion in him and his partner. He told her about them getting together and the frantic petting, all over the clothes, and the fact the he still didn't feel the passion he thought he would feel when he was with her.

He told her how he felt like he was broken. Like because he had never been loved he didn't have any idea how to love someone else. He told her about depression and tears and heartache.

Then he told her about his first kiss.

The kiss he considered his first kiss.

How one night after following the map under his invisibility cloak to see what Malfoy was up too during their sixth year he was caught by Theo. How they exchanged harsh mocking words and petty childish names and when Theo heard someone coming down the hallway and Harry was still yelling and bitching at him. Theo yanked him into an alcove and silenced him. He silenced him with a kiss so filled with angry frustration that Harry just exploded. Harry told her how he kissed him back pressing his fingers into his hair and pulling how the feeling of teeth and hard plains of skin and lips. Harry told her about the touches and pulls and tugs that were filled with rage in the beginning but tempered to passion and need. That was the first time they kissed and the last until far after the war.

He told her that when he watched the map during those horrible cold nights in the tent that he wasn't watching Ginny's name he was watching Theo's. He told her about the pain of watching Theo be taken by the Aurors on the battlefield.

Then he told her about the pain he felt later because he never asked Theo what happened. He just assumed that he was a willing little Junior Death Eater because he was a Slytherin.

He told her about getting together with Luna after they came back from Australia. How it never felt perfect but it did feel good. She was so oddly different that he was happy. He told her that he loved her because she never looked at him as a hero or as a villain just as Harry. He also told her that they never had a committed relationship. He told her about losing his virginity with her but not taking hers. He told her that his relationship with Luna worked because she was so different and liked to explore. He had all his big firsts with Luna. She knew all his secrets. She was the one who brought Theo to him. He had told her about that kiss and how it made him realize he was going to be okay. It made him feel.

When Theo was cleared of all charges regarding his Death Eater activities Harry was already in a relationship with Luna and ironically Percy Weasley, but Percy was being pressured by his family to settle down so he exited the relationship at the time. Luna and Harry were still happy together but Luna brought up the idea of Harry trying to reconnect with Theo. Theo turned all of Harry's overtures down for months before Luna ran into him in a bar.

Luna brought him home.

Luna helped them both work through their relationship.

Luna had a relationship with both wizards for months until she felt like she was the piece of the puzzle that didn't fit. Harry told her that in hindsight Luna was always he person who was the least involved with intimacy and mostly she just spurred them on.

When Luna left, Harry thought that things might fall apart between the two but they just grew stronger and more sure in their relationship. They hoped at sometime in the future to find a third person to complete what they felt was missing but for right now they were happy with where they were. If they never found that person they knew they would be happy and strong together too.

Harry told Hermione that everything was better. Harry was playing better Quidditch. Harry wasn't having nightmares. Harry was happy and content with where he was.

He asked her to please see that Theo was what made him happy. He asked her to please get to know Theo and then decide. He talked to her with his heart on his sleeve in a way that made her realize her little and broken family needed her to be there for them.

Hermione got to know Theo and Harry together as a team and that was that. Theo became her family. Not exactly a brother but a good friend. Together they gave Harry such a hard time and they actually enjoyed developing a relationship with each other. They really were perfect for each other, Theo and Harry. They filled in blank spaces in each other. Harry got someone to take care of because he really did have a saving people thing and Theo got to be taken care of for the first time since his mother died when he was just a child. Harry was levity and fun and Theo was the serious side that brought him back down. It just worked!

Hermione got another family member and Harry actually relaxed a little when he realized it was not going to cost him a sister to have the man he loved in his life. She got a replacement best friend after then end of her relationship with Ron when he cut all friendship ties between both herself and Harry. Ron was too big a star after the war to be friends with people who just wanted a quiet mousy life. Ron also had a huge problem with Harry's life choices and Hermione was not at all about to put up with that.

As they approached Hermione got up to hug them both.

"See you brought your better half." she told Harry.

"Of course he did. It's his first day off in weeks because of the season and the schedule but any time I can spend time with both of you I have every intention of forcing my presence on you." Theo replied.

"You are never a chore regardless of Harry's schedule. We went to dinner at least five times while we was at training camp those three weeks in October and I enjoyed every minute of it. Besides can you imagine Harry spending two hours with me browsing the book store for a forgotten gem? No, don't answer he would have been bored to death and rearranging the books in the first ten minutes. You are my adult hang out and Harry is my little brother time."

"Excuse me but I am not sure that I resemble that remark!" Harry said with an indignant huff.

"Oh don't worry Harry you do!" Hermione replied.

As they settled in and ordered their coffee and breakfast Hermione began to fidget and take deep calming breaths. Theo noticed before Harry so he stopped talking and quietly waited. He had enough experience in dealing with Hermione to know that you could never ask her what was wrong you had to wait for her to volunteer the information. It took Harry forever but when he noticed the lack of conversation from anyone other than himself he looked at Theo then Hermione.

"Hey," he said grabbing her hand and giving it a soft sqeeze, "What is wrong?"

Taking a deep breath Hermione told them, "So I have been seeing Marcus Flint off and on for the last year or so. It was not an exclusive relationship and I knew that going into it. I knew Marcus liked to play the field and have a girl in every town. Any time he was in London though I thought that girl was always me. Last week I went out to lunch with Ginny and Luna and found out he has been out with them lately. He was actually portkeying the girls to him from London in different towns. The girls were giggling when they confessed their sexcapdes with him lately. They didn't know I had been seeing him. They might not have told me if they did and it would have continued. I had fallen in love with him and even though I went into the relationship knowing when he was like I couldn't help myself." Tears were falling from her eyes at this point and couldn't be helped. Theo handed her a handkerchief and she dabbed at them.

"I knew who he was and how he was and I fell in love anyway. He doesn't know I was in love with him and I have no intention of ever telling him. I told him that I wouldn't be seeing him any more because I couldn't handle that he was sleeping with my best friends too. Yes Harry before you ask he knew exactly who my best friends were. I don't know if he was trying to hurt me or not but it hurt me know matter what." She looked up at her boys with all her heartbreak in her eyes. They had matching hurt expressions on their face but they let her continue without ask any questions.

"All this has made me realize that I need to make some changes to my life. I am so unhappy. I hate my job. I hate being alone all the time. All I do is work and come home. I do nothing else for fun. I have not made time to see my friends lately not even you two. I haven't seen Hannah and Susan in almost two months because I have been so busy and all the time I can squeeze together with Ginny and Luna are quick lunch dates. Harry your schedule keeps you so busy that I never see you, which I am not blaming you for, you don't get to be the best seeker in the British league without hard work. Theo it is so hard for us to get together too because you are working a lot of traveling to be with Harry. I feel like I am stuck in a rut and teetering on the brink of major depression. If I don't do something drastic now to change things I am worried I will lose myself." She took a few deep gasping breaths to try to calm herself down. She needed to focus so that she could ask them for help. She needed them to help her change things and to hold her accountable...

"How can we help?"

The question was asked by Harry but the sensitivity showing on Theo's face made it known it was a question from both of them.

"I have a list." she replied.

At this all three of them laughed.

"That sounds like you." replied Theo, "Listen love, go to the bathroom and wash your face them come back out and let's make a plan the three of us to get you back on your feet and feeling better. We love you and we won't let anything bad happen to you and we refuse to see you get hurt anymore. Go on, we will be right here. We need food for planning."

Hermione smiled at them both and got up to go to the bathroom. She loved her boys and she knew they would do anything to help her. She was so lucky to have them in her life.

"Theo..."

" I know Harry."

"Do we tell her?"

"Hell no! It would break her heart."

"But Marcus tried to proposition us both last month. Fuck we almost took him to home that night! It would have killed her. I would have hurt my sister so deeply and I didn't even know what was going on."

"I know that Salazar we were interrupted. I can't handle the thought of it. I know it was hard at first but I love your swotty little sister. It would kill me to hurt her."

"Do you think he is aiming for her friends to hurt her? Do you think he is doing this on purpose?"

"I don't know Harry. Marcus is a lot smarter than people give him credit for. I knew he was seeing someone but I didn't know it was her. Honestly the whole of the snake pit have been expecting some kind of announcement from him. To find out her was doing that..."

"So we help her. We give her whatever she needs and we help her get back up. Hermione is the best sister a guy could have and I hate that she is hurting. We build her back up."

"She has had my back with my business and our relationship. She has whatever she needs from me. I will empty the Nott vaults to help her although she would never take it."

Harry grabbed Theo's hand and gave it a gentle sqeeze. He knew that Theo had a bit of a crush on Hermione back in school but he also knew that they loved each other. They trusted each other. Hermione needed a Theo of her own. Someone who would prop her up and hold her back when she needed it. Someone she could show her worst side too and would love her through it all. She needed a Theo of her own who would understand he darkness and love her through he worst moments.

But for right now she had them.

They would move mountains for her.

Take on Dark Lords for her.

They would help her find herself through the mess and she would shine brighter than ever before.


	6. Making Moves

Sorry this is so short. I actually have about 9,000 more words written but I have major writers block because it doesn't flow very well at all. I didn't want to post short chapters or turn this section into too many chapters but I don't like tacking this bit on with something else. More following soon.

**Making Moves**

Hermione walked back to the table and noticed that both boys were having a hushed conversation. She was sure it was about her but she didn't mind all that much. She knew she needed their help. Honestly she was feeling a little worn out from her feelings purge.

As she sat down Harry spoke up, "Well, I know you want our help and you know we will do anything for you but, I personally think the first thing you should do is go in to the office on Monday and turn in your resignation letter."

"He's right you know." Theo chimed in, "You hate that job and you have for a while. They put you there because you are a war hero and a great publicity figure but, they underestimated how much you hate those kinds of attitudes and you hate the press."

Hermione sighed deeply. She knew they were right even if she didn't like the fact that they were. She was wooed into her job but then they never let her effect any changes. It was mostly just so the department could brag that they had her on staff. She was less than useless really.

"I know you're right but honestly boys we aren't all sitting on family fortunes in our comfy manors and London townhomes. What would I do to pay the bills? I know my flat isn't much but, it is at least something to stay in that is comfortable and warm. I can't have no income because I will still have bills."

"You know you could give up that flat and stay with us." Theo offered with Harry eagerly nodding along.

Hermione hesitated at that thought. Honestly it would give her some company to have around and with both boys working it isn't like they would all be on top of each other all the time. It might do her some good to leave the place she was with Marcus last and move on. Her lease was up at the end of the month and her signed renewal was just sitting on her coffee table anyway.

"I don't know," she said, "Won't I just be underfoot? As much as I love you both I happen to know you both are a bit...well you like to screw in every place possible."

All of them looked abashed as they all had some memory of Theo and Harry inviting Hermione over for dinner only to be distracted and lose track of the time. The memory Hermione had of walking in on Theo bending Harry over the kitchen island would take years to erase.

Harry could see that Hermione was considering it so he offered up, "We could be more circumspect. No sex in the common areas of the house that we would share with you. It would not be much of a hardship love. We really would love it if you stayed with us."

Seeing her wavering Theo went for the kill, "Plus love if you are depressed and feeling all lonely having people to come home to other than your cat might be a wonderful idea. We could all share the cooking and see each other in the mornings and evenings. A lot of time Harry isn't home due to his team schedule and I would love the company on his longer stretches out of town. There would be no bills for you to worry about so you wouldn't need to worry about jumping straight into another job. You could take some time and figure out what you really wanted to do with yourself."

"Well, if you are sure that you don't mind me being there I would love to come stay with you for at least a little while. My lease is up at the end of the month which gives me a bit of time to pack."

Hermione was staring off in to the distance. She wasn't sure it was the right move for her but, she did really want to quit her craptastic job and do something else. Honestly anything else. Plus she loved her boys and maybe having some company sometimes that she could see in her pajamas would be good for her. She was fighting her depression really hard and she had the feeling that she was losing the battle.

She looked at her boys and gave them a warm smile. She loved her friends and she should have been honest with them about what was happening with her sooner. Marcus was not all to blame for everything. He wanted to keep everything unwraps but then again so did she. She really needed a drastic change of pace here.

"Looks like I am moving in!"


	7. A Breakfast Companion

Across the room a tall man with a thick Scottish accent made his way into the little diner. Asking the hostess for seating for one he shook the water from his coat and sat down. He was starving and wanted to order quickly so after a quick glance through the menu a waitress came over and he placed his order.

Sitting back he looked around a bit noticing the other people in the diner. He saw a couple of young ladies together having breakfast, a few families were there with their young children having a nice morning together as well, but his favorite was the elderly couple at a table near the counter.

The man was pouring a cuppa for his wife who looked a bit more frail than he did. She sat their stooped over at her age and when he handed her the cup she looked at him with pure adoration and love. He smiled at her just the same way. It was a little thing, making someone a nice hot cup of tea but, sometimes those little things held the most meaning. You could look at these two people clearly in their later of years still loving each other to see the emotion written across their faces.

Oliver Wood, star Quidditch player, Captain of Puddlemere United, and Keeper, wanted that for himself more than anything in the world. He wanted to find someone who would look at him like that when his eyes were old and cloudy and his joints were stiff. When his skin sagged and he couldn't fly anymore, he wanted someone to look at him like he was still the best thing they ever had.

His parents had that kind of love. They were still so in love that even that it rolled on them in waves making everyone who entered their home feel calm and settled. No one ever felt unwelcome in Wood Keep because the place was so steeped in love. You could feel it as a guest and growing up in a home like that set a very high standard for any future relationships.

His grandparents had a love like this as well. Although they passed while Oliver was still at Hogwarts he could remember running to the dower house where they lived after Oliver was born with scrapped knees or hurt feelings from the other children in the village, and they made him feel so cared for. He would feel like he was the center of their world.

His grandfather would go out every day and pick a flower for his grandmother. He would trim back the thorns on a rose or search field after field to find the perfect flower and leave it for her on her dressing table. He did this everyday for as long as Oliver could remember. He still left a fresh daily flower on her dressing table after she passed. He told Oliver that even if she wasn't there to enjoy it she could still see him honoring her even from the beyond. He followed her into peace less than a year later.

Oliver wanted a love like that. He wanted what his parents and grandparents had with each other.

When he started his Quidditch career he was happy to just receive the attention of beautiful women and share his evening with them. He had so many stunning women throw themselves at him that he couldn't deny he sampled a fair few. It went straight to his head to be so chased after and coveted. He let the fame and fortune go to his head along with the attention and while nobody expected anything beyond a tumble in the sheets he now had a reputation to just that.

Oliver Wood was nothing more to women than a fantastic fuck.

No one was looking to be the next Mrs. Wood anymore when he met them. At first when this started he had a few women attempt to throw a fake pregnancy at him or claim that he promised more than he did. The more years he played in the league the less this happened. He had a reputation. Anymore he didn't even have to make it clear that this was just a one off. They all expected this. It didn't make him any different from a lot of the other Quidditch players, but it started to bother him deeply.

He finally started noticing that he wasn't getting much out of his encounters. He had a good time and he made sure the ladies did too but it was all feeling meaningless and hollow. Even the bragging stories the lads told now didn't matter much to him. They seemed empty.

He also noticed that the older guys on the team only gave hallow laughs to these stories. The married guys would smile but look vaguely pitying.

His mother had stopped introducing him to her friends daughters in an effort to see him settled down. When he asked her about this a few months ago she told him she couldn't stand to see her friends daughters treated in such a way by her very own son.

She had such a disappointed look in her eyes when telling him this that he was properly ashamed of himself.

So he did what he did best. He threw himself into change. You don't become the best Keeper in the league by not being adaptable. He had spent the last several months without the company of a woman by his side at every event. He had gone home and reflected on what he needed to do to change and then he did it. He quieted his sex drive with intense work-outs with his trainer. Hard to feel like you are missing anything on a night out if you are exhausted from 8 hours of training plus two hours lifting weights and cardio training. He study old Quidditch plays from around the world. He learned how to cook because he found that when he stayed home to eat he not only ate healthier but he was not approached by women who did their best to make him regret his decision to change.

Then he noticed something amazing. With his new dedication to his training and his health and fitness, his teammates began to listen to him more. He created better plays for the team and was more organized in his training. He felt better over all. He added muscle mass and flew faster and better than he had in a long time. With the changes he had made in himself he managed to change his whole team.

They trained better and harder than ever before.

They got better results than ever before.

They were the top in the league at the end of last season thanks in small part to his amazing leadership.

The team unanimously elected him captain for this season and he was so honored. He wasn't the eldest on the team or the one with the most experience. They chose him to lead by example.

However the longer this went on the more lonely he felt. He had great teammates, he had friends, and he had his small but close family but, he wanted something else. He wanted someone to share his time with away from Quidditch. He wanted long walks and late night conversations about everything and nothing.

Oliver Wood wanted more than he had but, he didn't want something shallow. He wanted something forever.

He was headed to his family Keep today to talk to his mother about maybe introducing him to some of those nice girls she had talked about in the past.

He didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted someone to talk to over dinner, someone to tell about his day, someone to share all of life's victories and defeats with. He wasn't expecting easy but he wanted someone to complain about his singing in the shower and his habit of leaving his clothes where he took them off. He wanted someone to dishes with and dance in the rain with too.

He wanted a connection to someone that would last.

Looking up he noticed his waitress carrying out three plates and watched her walk over to a table to deliver the food. He noticed Harry's partner Theo sitting on the outside. He was talking to someone next to him who Oliver guessed was Harry so he decided to stop over and say hello. Walking around would distract him from his hunger anyway. He should not have waited so long for breakfast.

As he approached the table he did see Harry but, noticed they were talking with someone else too. He glanced and noticed that they were having breakfast with Harry's best friend Hermione Granger. Oliver remembered her a little from Hogwarts as a small girl with big crazy hair and large front teeth. That Malfoy kid had insulted her at some point and the whole team jumped all over the kid for it. He also remembered that she saved a game for the team by waterproofing Harry's glasses during a rainstorm so he could actually see the snitch to catch the thing. When they had won Oliver had given her a big spinning hug and a kiss on the cheek where she turned beet red. That was a funny memory.

She was brilliantly smart, a war heroine, and very kind. That was about all he knew about her really.

"Hey Harry. Hey Theo." Oliver said as he approached. "Noticed you from across the room and thought I would swing over for a quick hello. Didn't realize you had company so I won't interrupt."

"No, Oliver sit down with us!" Harry said in excitement. He and Wood had always gotten on well but, it increased exponentially within the last half a year. Oliver had changed quite a bit and he thought maybe Hermione should start meeting some new people.

Theo wasn't sure if this was the best idea but, Hermione looked okay with him sitting down with them for a bit. Trust Harry to find another star Quidditch player to introduce Hermione to first. He loved him but, my goodness, he was an oblivious Gryffindor sometimes.

"Oliver you remember Theo I'm sure but, do you remember Hermione Granger? She was in my year at Hogwarts." Harry said introducing the two of them.

Oliver thought Harry was acting a little touched right now. Hermione was a war heroine. Basically everyone knew her. She was the brightest witch to pass through Hogwarts since Rowena Ravenclaw and quite pretty as well.

"Ahh, yes I remember you Hermione," he said looking straight into her eyes, "You are the girl who is always saving Harry's life right?"

Oliver felt all warm inside when she tossed back her head and laughed. She had some red puff eyes and it looked like she could use a good laugh. She was stunning when she laughed.

"Well thankfully it has been a few years since he needed saving and it seems to be on a much lesser scale now so I can send that job off to Theo and enjoy some actual peace and quiet." she replied to him with a soft smile.

Theo heard his name mentioned but, he honestly was not really paying much attention. Oliver and Hermione were flirting. Or what would count more as Gryffindor flirting. Not skilled or tactful but, he could see some kind of weird attraction there even if it was really minimal right now. Maybe his boyfriend wasn't an idiot. Maybe she had a type too. I mean Viktor Krum, Ron the douche Weasley, and Marcus Flint, perhaps Hermione had a Quidditch fixation. They really looked pretty together even if nothing else happened.

"Hey! That isn't the job I signed up for." Theo shot back in mock outrage.

"Oh yes, then what did you sign up for?" Hermione quirked at eyebrow at him. She moved over so Oliver would have room to sit down.

"I didn't read the fine print but, I am sure it was not to make sure he survived. That is a job no one except you could ever handle. Smarmy managing Gryffindors all tilt at windmills together if you please. The snakes just sit back and watch and offer our constructive criticism."

"You mean smart ass remarks and not so very subtle innuendo?" Hermione asked and Harry and Oliver both burst out laughing.

"Well of course that is what I meant." Theo added with a saucy smile.

"Hey!" Harry replied with a fake pout, "I don't need looking after thank you very much. I managed to do just fine now that snake faced megalomaniacs aren't trying to kill me constantly. And you," he said poking at Theo, "seem to like taking care of me don't pretend otherwise!"

Theo gave him a soft smile. "I do actually like taking care of you. Dotty Gryffindorish tendencies aside."

Oliver looked at the two and noticed how genuinely happy they were. It made him smile to himself. He shifted his attention to the pretty witch sitting next to him and gave her a smile. Red puffy eyes aside she was truly stunning. She smiled at her friends practically bathing in their love and adoration.

"Well aren't the two of you disgustingly cute together," he commented, "How can you stomach your eggs in the face of all this?" He asked giving Hermione a questioning look.

"It makes me happy to see them so happy." She told him honestly. "Plus they just offered me free room and board at Hotel NottPott so I can change directions in my life. So I find that this time they are saving me. Plus honestly they make me hopeful I can find this whole nonsense for myself one day." She replied gesturing at the love birds across the table.

"Sounds like a good goal and I should know I am a Keeper."

"Did you just Dad joke? Really at this table with a teammate, two former housemates, and a Slytherin you told a Dad joke?" She looked at Oliver like her was crazy while Theo smirked, and Harry tired to stiffle his laugh.

Oliver just grinned. His mission was complete he made a pretty witch smile today and he felt amazing.

"Well is it really a Dad joke if someone laughs?" Oliver asked as he snatched a piece of toast from Hermione's breakfast.

"That was definitely a Dad joke and Harry has no sense of humor. Everything amuses him." Theo said.

At that moment the waitress came to the table with Oliver's food and he got ready to excuse himself and go eat, at their insistence though he stayed where he was and ate with them. Conversation ebbed and flowed around the table and all the friends made sure that Oliver was included in all the conversation even though they were such a tight knit group. All in all it was the best day out with friends he had in a while. He sat next to a beautiful witch, across from a teammate, and his very happy partner. Oliver was so content that he didn't even notice how long they had been sitting at the table until the waitress came over to ask if they wanted lunch as well.

All of them were slightly embarrassed that they were there so long and they left a hefty tip as they got up to leave. As Hermione, Harry, and Theo were departing it was all smiles as Oliver told them he hoped to see them at some of the upcoming games and that he would see Harry at practice Monday.

Oliver left the cafe full of lighthearted happiness. That was a wonderful morning and if a certain curly haired war heroine featured prominently in his thoughts and smiles that really was not so bad. He hoped he would get to spend more time with the trio but for now he was off to his family home. All thought however of asking his mother to introduce him to some nice young ladies had vanished before he stepped through the floo.


End file.
